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ABRAHAM WILSON DURYEE, A.M.
Originally published in 1900 |
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ABRAHAM WILSON DURYEE, A.M., of New Durham, was one of the
eminent citizens of Hudson County. For a number of years he was President
of the Board of Freeholders of that county, and distinguished himself
by the display of executive abilities of a high order. For two years he
represented his Assembly district in the New Jersey House of Assembly.
For twenty years he was a Township Committeeman. He was also President
of the Experimental Station of New Jersey in connection with Rutgers
College and of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture and was an
Elder in the Grove Reformed Church of New Durham. In view of these
facts, it need hardly be said that Mr. Duryee enjoyed the esteem and confidence
of the people of Hudson County to a degree realized by but very few
citizens. He was born in Schuylerville, Saratoga County, N. Y., September 13, 1821, being the son of Rev. Philip Duryee, born in 1775, died in 1850, and Rachel Day, born July 8, 1794. His father, Philip, was Chaplain in the United States Army during the War of 1812. On the paternal side Mr. Duryee was a grandson of Abraham Duryee, who was born May 8, 1743, at Fort Hamilton, and died March 24, 1814, and of Eleanor Nagle, his wife; a great-grandson of George Duryee (born in 1715, died in 1795) and Catherine Schenck-, a great-great-grandson of Abraham Duryee (born in 1685) and Elizabeth Polhemus; and a great-great-great-grandson of Joost Duryee (born in 1650. died in 1727) and Magdalene le Febre, both of whom fled from Paris at the time of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, coming in 1675 to this country from Mannheim, in the Palatinate of the Rhine. Abraham Duryee, grandfather of Abraham W. Duryee, was born May 8, 1743. He was a member of the first Colonial Council, one of the Sons of Liberty, a member of the New York Revolutionary Committee of Safety, and one of the famous Committee of One Hundred in 1775. On the maternal side Mr. Duryee was a grandson of Edward Day (born August 21, 1755, died December 10, 1797) and Leah Bourdett (born September 8, 1765, died September 15. 1831); a great-grandson of Peter Bourdett (born May 11, 1735) and Rachel Bush (born in 1745); and a great-great-grand-son of Etienne Bourdett. Peter Bourdett (born May 11, 1735), in this line, gave the land for Fort Lee, while he and his slaves built the fort. Mr. Duryee was educated at a private school at English Neighborhood, N. J., and at Rutgers College, and from the last-mentioned institution received the degree of Master of Arts in 1893. He followed agricultural pursuits on his large estate, and died June 8, 1898. His wife, Caroline, daughter of Garrett Cowenhoven and Annetta Ditmars, lineally descends from Wolfert Garretse Van Cowenhoven, who came to New Amsterdam in 1630, from Amersfort, Province of Utrecht, Netherlands. Mrs. Duryee is still living, aged seventy-six, having been born October 4, 1824. They celebrated their golden wedding in 1894.
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